Acid
by Chaotic Umbreon
Summary: She made such a stupid mistake, trusting Cipher all those years. She was just being used. And now she had to team up with this punk and save the Orre region? Great. Based on Pokemon Colosseum gameplay.
1. The Under

**Hello, my friends! As you guessed, it is I, Lee. And in the spirit of my Pokémon obsession coming back (and the fact that I never wait for you guys to tell me if you like a story idea or not), I have decided to go through with my Pokémon Colosseum idea. Now before- OH DAMN! *dodges oncoming weapons* I said BEFORE you start pelting me with weapons, I promise promise PROMISE not to abandon my Dark Explorations story. I have plenty ideas for that story that need to be written.**

**Ugh, I wish it was March. I need to play a new Pokémon game. I reserved Pokémon Black and I'm so ready to beat it. I'm so bored, I resorted to restarting my Pokémon Pearl and replaying that. It doesn't fill the void, guys. It doesn't fill the void.**

**Note about this story: Yes, these are the characters from Dark Explorations. No, they are not Pokémon in this story. They are now basically Trainers, full-on human. Same looks, just without the ears or tails or wings or whatnot. And I made The Under bigger than it looks in the game. I felt it should be bigger. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Pokemon Colosseum. I wish I did, though...**

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**Chapter 1**

It was clear that it was morning. Thieves, outcasts, and all the others hiding from the outside world were bustling into The Under, mingling with the others who lived there. Neon lights that stayed on all night for the party people seemed a tad brighter. The sounds from The Under's run-down colosseum were louder with the sounds of fresh challenges. But the only way to be sure that it was morning was to check the few clocks hanging around the small, shabby house sitting near the edge of The Under.

The house was strange. There was the ground floor and then another floor that went a little more underground than the whole city. The underground floor was much bigger than the ground one, being used as the space to hold a bedroom and a bathroom. Upstairs was used as a kitchen and a sort-of living room with only a ripped-up armchair and an old sofa. There, laying on the sofa in a deep sleep, was an Umbreon.

Right as the digital clock on the microwave struck 9:00, the Umbreon blinked open her red eyes. She stretched out her body and shook her fur out. Hopping down from the sofa, she padded over to the door that led downstairs. It was slightly ajar, and, with a soft push, the Umbreon slipped past it and trotted downstairs. It was dark, as the downstairs had no windows for the neon lights to shine through. But that didn't matter. Umbreon was a Dark Pokémon and could easily navigate her way through any darkness.

Umbreon walked over to the bed in the corner. A girl about eighteen was asleep, her black hair fanning around the pillow. Worn-out blankets covered her body as she slept without a sound. Umbreon blinked fondly at the sleeping girl and paced, debating whether or not she should wake the sleeping figure. Then, with a decided prick of her ears, she prepared to jump onto the bed.

Suddenly, the black cell phone sitting on the broken nightstand started to ring. Umbreon went over and shoved her body against the nightstand, causing the phone to fall onto the carpet. The Pokémon's red eyes scanned the caller ID before she nudged it open.

"Hello? Una? Is that you?"

The Umbreon gave a sort-of mewl to let the caller know it wasn't the girl, but the girl's trusted partner Pokémon. A delighted squeal came over the phone. "Chaos! Good morning, dear! I suppose that means Una's still asleep. Would you take the phone to her and wake her up?"

Chaos gave another mewl and picked up the phone in her mouth, being careful not to let her teeth or lips hit any of the buttons. Jumping onto the bed, she dropped the phone by the girl's ear and nuzzled her nose into her cheek. The girl just grumbled and stirred, throwing the blanket off of her and stretching. "What's up, Chaos?" she asked, rubbing her grey eyes.

"Una? Are you up yet?"

At the sound of that voice, Una started. She picked up the phone. "Lady Venus! I'm sorry, I didn't know you were on the phone." She gave a grateful glance to her Umbreon and stroked the Pokémon's head. "I was so tired…"

"Oh, that's quite alright, my dear." Una could hear Lady Venus getting ready for her daily announcements via the huge screen and every TV in The Under. "You work so hard, being our undefeated champion of The Under colosseum. I'll have Zaden come by later and bring you some fresh food. I just repaid your electricity and cell phone bill, so don't worry about any of that. I wish I could make that little place of yours less run-down…"

Una smiled slightly. "You have so much to do, my Lady. Don't bother yourself with my place. Chaos and I are perfectly content." She stretched out her legs and leaned her head against the wall. "Any challenges for me today, Lady?"

"One second, my dear." Background voices from the small TV station were heard as Lady Venus asked something. "No dear, there hasn't been any challenges so far, so you can relax, walk around, train, whatever pleases you." She gave a small squeal. "Oh, you can spend the day with Zaden! Poor boy must be so bored running errands and fighting off other challenges. It'd do him good to hang out with you, Una."

At the mention of Zaden, Una blushed. "He wouldn't want to hang around with me, Lady. I'm sure he has better things to do…"

"Nonsense! I'll get him to deliver your fresh food and tell him he can hang around you today if he wants. Which I'm sure he will, he's so fond of you, at least that's how it is in my eyes. Oh, here he is now! I'll send him over right away!" And with that, she hung up.

Una closed the phone and looked over to Chaos. "Well, it looks like we'll be hanging out with Zaden today. Hope he doesn't mind…" She shook her head to rid herself of her blush and stood up, stretching one final time. Chaos jumped down and started to groom her fur as Una dressed in her usual all-black. She slipped on jeans, sneakers, and a cropped t-shirt. Grabbing her cropped long-sleeved jacket, she put it on and put her black belt around her waist, the one that held Chaos's PokéBall that Una rarely ever used. Chaos preferred to walk around with Una, and Una had no objection to that.

When a knock was heard on the front door, Una started. "Zaden's here! Let's go see him, Chaos." The two ran up the steps together and opened the door for their friend.

There was Zaden, his skater-cut silver-white hair hanging near his amber eyes. His dark blue jeans, black t-shirt, and black short-sleeved jacket gave him a cool, bad boy look, and his smile/smirk made him look even better. Una tried not to blush like a total girl as she gave him a cool smile back and said, "Hey. Lady Venus told me you were coming over."

"Yup. Brought you and the Umbreon more food, too." He stepped inside and placed the bags full of food on the chipped counter, scratching Umbreon behind her ear. "Good to see you, Chaos. Looking as tough as ever."

Chaos mewled happily and looked over at the door as Zaden's Pokémon, a Zangoose nicknamed Dagger, stepped into the house. He darted over to Una and jumped up into her arms, rubbing his face against her cheek.

Una laughed. "Hey, Dagger! Good to see you, buddy!" She gave him a kiss on top of his head. "Are you two hungry? Chaos and I haven't eaten yet. You can have breakfast with us."

"Zan zan!" Dagger hopped onto the floor and circled Chaos playfully on all fours. Chaos just sat and watched him circle her, her ears pricked in amusement. Una just laughed again and sorted through the bags, grabbing two cans of Pokémon food. She opened them and dumped them into a food bowl that she kept near the table for Chaos. The two Pokémon went and dug in hungrily.

"Want anything?" she asked Zaden, grabbing a can of soda for herself and starting to put the food away in the cabinets and fridge.

Zaden sat on a chair by the wobbly table and stretched out his legs in front of him. "That's not breakfast," he joked, nodding to her can of soda. "That's just loading yourself up on sugar and crashing later. I got you fresh fruit and all sorts of stuff. Why do you need soda?"

"Because I said so." Una popped open the can and took a long sip. Turning to Zaden, she smiled. "Come on. Don't you want anything? I'll make you something if you want."

Zaden ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "I ate already before I came here. And Dagger's just a hungry Snorlax." He reached down and stroked Dagger's white fur. "So Lady Venus told me I get to hang out with you today. What should we do? Go up to Pyrite Town and challenge the punks in the square? Or maybe head over to Phenac City and watch the newbies think they're so cool for winning in that lame Stadium?"

Una laughed at the latter, but before she could answer, the TV silently playing in the background turned into a newsflash. The two turned around and watched as a picture of a smoking building appeared onscreen.

"Reports of a fire breaking out somewhere in the desert have finally been investigated. It appears that the Team Snagem hideout has been discovered and blown up by one of their members. Also investigated, a tiny device known as a Snag Machine was taken by this member as well. Details on who and where this member is located is still unknown."

When the report was over, Una shook her head. "Damn idiots. Team Snagem is so lame." She tossed her soda can and picked up a brush from the counter. Kneeling down, she started to brush out Chaos' fur as the Pokémon ate. "If that Team Snagem punk tries to come to The Under and snag Chaos, I'll destroy them."

"I've only heard of Team Snagem and what they do," Zaden said. "But I don't understand. How are they capable of snagging other Trainer's Pokémon?"

"That Snag Machine is how they do it," Una explained, voicing what she had heard Lady Venus tell her. "They place a PokéBall in that machine and throw it and it can snag any Trainer's Pokémon. I heard they've taken a lot of Pokémon." She ran the brush over Chaos' ears gently. "Lady Venus just says that they're bad guy wannabes. If they had found the hideout earlier, anyone could've gone right in and kicked their asses to take back the Pokémon."

Zaden just scoffed and let Dagger jump onto his lap. "Punk better not show his face around here. We'd tag team him and whatever Pokémon he stole." He smiled as Dagger playfully batted at Zaden's bangs. "I could never let him take Dagger away."

"I wish Ein could figure out a way to make our Pokémon resistant to being snagged instead of working on whatever project he's so busy on out at the lab," Una told him, standing up. "If that rogue member is good enough to outsmart and infiltrate Team Snagem, there's a chance he's good enough to get our Pokémon."

"We'll have to propose that idea to Ein whenever we see him," Zaden agreed. He got up and allowed Dagger to sit on his shoulder. "Let's just head on over to Phenac City and watch the newbies. Then we'll head back up to Pyrite Town and challenge people."

Una nodded and smiled. "Alright. Let's go up to the warehouse and grab our bikes. I'd race you, but you're too old to keep up."

"I'm nineteen. That's only a year older than you," Zaden told her, patting her on the shoulder. "Don't make challenges that you can't win, Una. You'll just get burned in the end."

Una just grinned. "We'll see, Zaden."

**…**

Driving across the desert on the motorcycle always felt amazing. Una felt free and alive, almost like she was glad to be away from The Under. Riding in the cart attached to her bike, Chaos enjoyed the freedom just as much as Una. The Pokémon's eyes were soaking in the passing desert scenery with happiness.

Zaden rode next to her, Dagger sitting in his own cart, looking around wildly. Una smiled and looked out at the horizon, waiting to see when Phenac City came into view. Instead of the city, another motorcycle came out from the distance, going in the opposite direction as she and Zaden.

Una glanced to her left. It was a guy dressed in all black like her. His orange hair hung around his face, the bangs brushing against the top of his black eyes. There was a single PokéBall clipped to his belt, just like her and Zaden. A strange black and blue machine-like sleeve covered his right arm. But the strangest thing about him was that he had a wicked grin on his face. He looked as though he had just done something totally badass.

The guy, probably around nineteen, caught Una looking at him. He slimmed his wicked grin to a sly smirk as he gave her a single wave of his hand and a wink. Then, he revved up his motorcycle and sped off.

Una turned back to the road, spotting Phenac City. But that was the farthest thing from her mind. That guy was going in the direction of The Under. And that wicked grin made her uneasy and curious. Just who the hell was he?

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**If the description wasn't the dead giveaway, no, Wes, the original name of the main character of Pokémon Colosseum, was not the one to steal from Team Snagem in this story. Those of you who have read Dark Explorations might know who it is. And if you've read it, I understand Zaden hasn't come into that story. Yet. You'll see him soon (SPOILER!).**

**Ok, here's the pronunciations for those two names:**

**Una (You-nuh)**

**Zaden (Zae-den)**

**So tell me what you think. Either the second chapter to this story will be my next objective or the fifth chapter to Dark Explorations will be. Leave me a review, guys!**


	2. Black Aura

**Hello, fellow writers and readers! It's Lee! Wow, I must be really into writing about Pokémon. I keep updating Dark Explorations and I'm determined to try to make this story into something. Hopefully. I really like the idea, at least.**

**Two weeks, guys. Two. Weeks. And then I won't be stuck replaying Pearl. I'll get to sit with my DS and play Pokémon Black for hours on end. Maybe I'll have the inspiration to use one of the fifth generation Pokémon as a character in one of my stories. There is ONE I wanna use…**

**Ok, so here's chapter 2! I hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2**

"Sandslash! Use Slash attack!" The Trainer ordered, determination on his face. The Pokémon obeyed, rushing toward the opponent's Pokémon with its claws extended. The opponent's Pokémon was able to narrowly dodge the Ground Pokémon's attack, ready for its command.

"Weezing! Attack with Sludge Bomb!" The second Trainer watched as her Pokémon used the attack to try to poison the Sandslash. The Pokémon barely dodged, the sludge an inch away from doing any damage.

Una sat in the stands of the Phenac Stadium, watching the battle with boredom. She observed the Trainers' faces, how they seemed to think they were so cool for getting to the semi-finals. She scoffed and stroked Chaos, who was asleep on Una's lap. If those Trainers had entered The Under Colosseum, they would've lost on the first match. Hell, on the first turn. This battle was almost too sad to watch. It was so obvious who was going to be the winner.

Zaden was sitting next to her, Dagger running around from Zaden's shoulder to his lap to Una's shoulder and back to Zaden's. There were moments where Dagger could just not sit still. The Zangoose soon settled down for a minute on Zaden's shoulder, his red-orange eyes taking in everything around him. He wrinkled his nose for a minute as if he didn't like something, then nuzzled his face into Zaden's cheek. Zaden laughed and stroked the Pokémon's head. "You are just too hyper, aren't you, buddy?" The Zangoose agreed by nuzzling Zaden's cheek again.

Two girls sitting behind them giggled. "What a cute Zangoose," the redheaded girl said, smiling. "Is he yours?" Una rolled her eyes. As if the girl didn't know Dagger was Zaden's. He was only running over to Zaden constantly and cuddling up to him.

Zaden scratched Dagger behind the ears. "Yeah. He's my trusted Pokémon. Aren't you, buddy?" The Zangoose wasn't taking any notice of the girls behind them. He just ran from Zaden's shoulder over to Una's, nuzzling her cheek now and making sure Chaos was asleep before zipping back over to Zaden.

The black-haired girl, who obviously wasn't a ditz like her friend, looked over to Una. "Wow, what a beautiful Umbreon. I have a Vulpix myself." She smiled as she saw Chaos look up and over at her. "Well, hello there." She reached out a hand, but paused. "May I?" she asked Una kindly.

Una smiled. "Of course." She allowed Chaos to stretch and place her paws on Una's shoulder so the Pokémon was close to the girl. She stroked Chaos' head and smiled warmly. "Wow, she looks so strong. You two must train all the time."

"We do." Una watched as Chaos sniffed the black-haired girl's hand, probably catching the scent of her Vulpix. She glanced over and saw the redhead trying to coax Dagger over to her, but the Zangoose kept looking at her like she was crazy. Zaden didn't seem to care about what was going on. He just sat there, watching as the boy Trainer and his Sandslash won.

The girls went back to talking to each other and watching the challenge. Chaos yawned and curled back up onto Una's lap. Dagger went back to jumping from Zaden's shoulder to Una's and back. Una stroked Chaos' fur and stared down at the Stadium as the final match began. She wanted to see who this last competitor was and if he was even worth watching.

The boy Trainer from the previous battle threw out a PokéBall. "Gligar, I choose you!" The Pokémon flew about, ready to battle.

The finalist was another guy who looked as though he had already won the challenge. He casually tossed his PokéBall from one hand to the other, examining the Gligar on the field. Finally, he threw out the PokéBall. "Go, Sableye!"

When the Sableye appeared on the field, Una started. That Pokémon…was so weird. It looked just like a normal Sableye, but there seemed to be a black aura surrounding it. It looked fierce and relentless as it just stood there, waiting to attack. Una looked around, seeing if anyone else noticed the strange aura the Pokémon emanated. But the crowd just acted like everything was fine, oblivious to how the Sableye looked different.

Una turned to Zaden. He was staring right at the Sableye, but he didn't seem to react to the aura. He just sat there, staring with that cool look of his. "Zaden, do you see it?" Una asked her friend.

Zaden glanced over at her. "See what? All I see are the Trainers and their Pokémon."

"But don't you see the Sableye?" Una started nudging Chaos. The Umbreon lifted her head and glanced out over to where Una pointed. Chaos started and her ears pricked up in surprise. "Chaos sees it. Look at the Sableye."

Zaden and Dagger both looked at the Sableye closely. "Una, nothing's wrong with that Pokémon," Zaden assured her. "Are you alright? Maybe you're sick. We can go back to The Under if you're not feeling well."

"No…no, I'm fine." Una leaned back in her seat, her grey eyes fixed on the Sableye. "I'm just…tired or something. Or it's a trick of the light. I'm fine." She looked down at Chaos, who blinked her red eyes up at her Trainer. Una stroked her fur, but the Pokémon nudged her head at the Sableye. Una nodded and watched the battle, interested for the first time.

The Sableye was currently attacking the Gligar ferociously. It kept slashing and going after the other Pokémon with no mercy. Chaos sat up in Una's lap, examining the battle herself. The Gligar tried to fight back, but the Sableye wouldn't give it the chance. Suddenly, the black aura around the Sableye expanded as it rushed forward and attacked the Gligar ruthlessly. Una and Chaos watched on in horror as the Gligar was knocked out of the air and thrown to the ground. The Sableye's Trainer smirked as the Gligar's Trainer cried out.

"Gligar is defeated! The winner is Sableye!"

The crowd erupted into cheers for the winner, and Una and Zaden took that as the time to leave. They stood up and started moving past the audience, Dagger riding on Zaden's shoulder and Chaos leading the way. Una glanced back over at the field, watching as the Trainer accepted his prize. The Sableye stood next to its Trainer, not rejoicing over the victory at all. It looked angry and almost disappointed at the fight. The black aura swirled around it dangerously.

Outside, Chaos jumped into the cart attached to Una's motorcycle. Zaden put Dagger in his, but he didn't get on his motorcycle. Instead, Zaden looked over at Una. "You sure you're ok?" he asked, his amber eyes sparking with worry. "You seemed so scared and shocked at seeing that Sableye. It was just a normal Sableye, Una."

"It was not a normal Sableye, Zaden," Una argued. "It had black aura around it. And did you see the way it attacked that Gligar? It was like it wanted to kill the Pokémon. How could you not see the black aura?"

"There was no black aura," Zaden assured her. "It was a regular Sableye. Maybe you're starting to get sick. We should take you back to Lady Venus."

Una started. "Lady Venus! Maybe she's seen a Pokémon just like that." She hopped onto her motorcycle and revved it up. "Come on, let's go back to The Under."

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When the two had parked their bikes in the warehouse and taken the elevator to The Under, Una and Zaden took the UFO to the Colosseum. They went down the stairs that led to the rooms the challengers used to wait before a match. Continuing down the hall and turning to the left, they went through a doorway that led them to an elevator. They went down the elevator and looked out at the large area they were in. It was still part of The Under that held two tunnels. To the right was the subway station that took passengers to the lab Ein owned. And to the left was a doorway that led to Lady Venus' personal area. It was where Venus lived and ran all of The Under. Above it was where Lady Venus recorded her announcements for The Under. The two went through the doorway and entered a lobby of sorts.

A receptionist sat behind a counter. "Una, Zaden, hello." She nodded to Chaos and Dagger before saying, "Lady Venus is in the mini-lab on the second floor. You can see her if you'd like."

Una and Zaden took another elevator up to the mini-lab Lady Venus used to help care for extremely ill Pokémon. When they got off the elevator and walked to the mini-lab, a scientist from Ein's lab was exiting the room. He glanced over at Una and Zaden silently as he walked past them. Una knocked on the lab door. "Lady Venus, it's us. Can we come in?"

"Oh, Una dear!" Lady Venus sounded surprised. "I didn't expect you two to be back so soon. Come in, there's something you may want to see.

Una and Zaden stepped into the lab with their Pokémon. Immediately, Una started. There, lying on a white table, was the legendary Pokémon Suicune. It was lying on its side, cuts and bruises all along its flank. Una just stared at the magnificent Pokémon as it lifted its head and stared over at the newcomers. "L-Lady Venus…"

Lady Venus led Una and Zaden over to the table. "Isn't it amazing? We found the poor dear injured near Agate Village. We've tried to figure out what's wrong, but there's no indication as to what happened." Lady Venus tried to pet the Suicune, but it just let out a warning bark. The Lady stepped back and looked at Una. "So what is it you wish to see me about, dear?"

Una's eyes were fixed onto the Suicune as she responded. "I…uh…thought I saw a weird Pokémon with a black aura back in Phenac City. Of course, it was probably my imagination." The Suicune stared back at Una, its red eyes wounded and scared. "Yeah, just my imagination."

"I see…" Lady Venus glanced at Zaden. "Zaden dear, could you come over here for a minute? I want to discuss your fighting tactics for your next battles in the Colosseum." The two retreated to a corner of the lab, Dagger following.

Una was close enough to touch the Suicune. She reached her hand out, and the Suicune sniffed it curiously. It then sighed, a sound as soft as the wind blowing. "Aren't you just beautiful…" Una whispered, stroking the Suicune's head. The Pokémon laid its head back down, allowing Una to run her fingers over its fur. Chaos hopped up onto a chair by the Suicune's head, and the legendary Pokémon turned and sniffed Chaos. Chaos touched her nose to the Suicune's head and Suicune sighed again.

Zaden came back, Dagger on his shoulder. "Una, I have to stay here with Lady Venus for awhile. Will you be ok going home alone?"

Una scoffed. "Of course. I'm not a defenseless little girl." She stared down at the Suicune. The Pokémon's eyes were sad, almost pleading, like it wanted Una to stay. "Come on, Chaos, we'll get going."

Dagger jumped onto the table and stared at the Suicune with wide eyes. He nuzzled his nose into its cheek, letting out a soft whimper. Suicune licked Dagger's ear. Dagger jumped in joy and amazement before running off of the table and zipping around Zaden's feet. Zaden just let out a small smile before he walked outside of the building with Una, the Pokémon following.

"Thank you for going to Phenac City with me, Una," Zaden said as they stood outside. Chaos and Dagger started to chase each other around the elevator leading back to the Colosseum. "I hope you're not getting sick. Are you positive that you're ok?"

Una lightly punched Zaden in the arm. "I'll be ok, promise. If it makes you feel any better, I'll call you if I really am sick."

Zaden laughed and stared at Una with his cool amber eyes. "I'll see you later, Una." He kept staring at her, his eyes locked on to hers. Una started to blush and tried to look away, but Zaden slipped his hand under her chin. He leaned closer to her, his lips inches away from hers.

Right before their lips touched, Lady Venus called out, "Zaden! I need you over here, dear boy!" Zaden sighed, a frustrated, annoyed sigh, and released Una. "I'll call you later, Una. Maybe we can meet up for dinner." Lady Venus called out again, and Zaden barked out, "I'll be there in a minute!" Dagger rushed over and hopped onto his shoulder. With a last glance, they went back into the building.

Una just stood there, her face red and her eyes wide. Chaos calmly walked over to her Trainer, staring up at the astonished girl with knowing red eyes. She nudged Una, and the girl started and looked down at the Pokémon. "Wh-what are you looking at?" The Umbreon just kept staring at her. "What? H-he was just saying good-bye…" Chaos snorted. "Don't look at me like that! He probably wasn't going to kiss me anyways." Chaos just started walking over to the elevator, her tail wagging in a sort-of mockery. "D-don't you walk away from me! Or wag your tail like that!" She followed Una to the elevator, her face still red.

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"Just wait until you find some Pokémon you like. I am going to mock you all the time." Una walked up to the front door of their little house, pulling out her keys and getting ready to unlock the door. Surprisingly, the door handle opened with ease. "Oh, shoot. I think I forgot to lock the door when we left." The two of them entered the house, Chaos sitting by her food bowl and Una closing the door.

As Una turned on the light, Chaos let out a startled cry. Una looked over at the Umbreon, but she was staring right past Una with wide red eyes. Una glanced over to the couch and gasped, her fists clenched and her grey eyes shocked.

There, sitting on the couch, was the guy with the orange hair, his arms crossed and his black eyes glinting. And he was showing off his wicked grin.

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**Cliffhanger! I am so evil. So there you have it! Geez, our old buddy looks like such a creeper, sneaking into Una's house and sitting there...grinning...if I were Una, I don't know if I'd run or just sock him in the face...**

**Hope you liked it! Leave a review, please!**


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